Sunday, February 9, 2025

Slow Sunday Stitching

21 charm baskets were completed this week.  I'm enjoying the slow stitching process for sure.



98 baskets of 202 needed for the quilt are now complete.  My baskets are trimmed to 4.25" vs. the recommended 4.5" unfinished block due to wonkiness.  52.5" x 64.5" finished is the quilt pattern size.  I'll most likely go with those numbers--give or take.
The quilt pattern is called Charm Basket by Laundry Basket Quilts.  It is an Edyta Sitar design. 

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here.

 Slow Sunday Stitching


I also stitched circles on two Dicey blocks this week in blue (Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2025.).


I posted how I was making my applique circles using Applipops for this Dicey quilt on this post. 

Thank you for all of your comments and for sharing your tips on how you make circles for applique!  I will be trying some of them in another project.  I'll be trying to keep the circles in Dicey consistant, but LOVE trying new things to see what works for me.

You can read why I started this quilt here.

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Dicey -- Blue -- RSC25

 This week I made two more Dicey blocks.


I talked about how I was practicing making circles here.  Several followers gave how they make circles.  I LOVE their input!  I will be trying a few of the techniques at a later date.  For now I will keep the same method to keep things consistent in this quilt.
You can read why I started this quilt here.

The snowmen that I built Januaury 18th (three weeks ago) are STILL hanging on to life!  Here's a little progression of them.  I don't know why I'm so interrested in keeping up with their existance.


January 19th our son added two more snowmen and a couple of "dogs".


Here's what they looked like on the morning of January 31st:


More sunshine happened and the results for the morning of February 1st.  I'm starting to see a pattern that I have time to stop and take photos of melting snowmen while I patiently wait for our son to come out of the house and get into my truck so that I can take him to the bus stop at the end of the driveway.  He usually walks to the bus stop on his own, but the driveway is slushy, icy, or muddy right now.  Our school district is having a big issue with the lack of bus drivers (as are a few other districts in the area.). Some days there is not a bus driver available and we receive a message that our kid needs to find their own way to school!  One day our bus was 19 minutes late while the temperature was 15 degrees.  I just can't let him stand there in a situation like that.  I schedule my substitute teacher times so that I can start later in the day so that I can wait with him at the bus stop.


On Monday the temperature got up to 55 degrees.  But that didn't end the snowmen.  Tuesday (this week) February 4, 2025:


Our son had a "snow day" on Thursday due to icy road conditions.  Boy, they were icy on my way to my school district which was still in session.  

Our snowmen are now threee weeks old...and yesterday, February 7, 2025:


80 percent chance of snow today.  Hope it's a wet snow so that I can build more snowmen.













I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy, for the RSC25 here.


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Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Prepping Circle for Applique -- Applipops Version

As I talked about yesterday, the prep work that goes into an applique project is vital for keeping the project moving.  Below is a photo of the fun tools I have been using for making my circles for applique.


One of the new toys I bought with my Christmas money from my husband is a tool called Applipops.  You can watch the daughter of the woman who created Applipops on YouTube here.  It is the video that was most helpful to me.

In the photo are two sets of the Applipops for the size of circle I am making.  One set is on the keeper ring, and one set is still on the fabric circle.  I am glad that I bought the larger "pro" set because I can make one while the other is cooling after it has been pressed with the iron.  The set was a little pricey, but the circles made are very, very nice.  I'm still practicing.

The other metal notion is a trolley needle.  I use it to push down starched fabric edges on the back so that I do not have to touch the iron.  The metal rings get a little warm.  I never heard of a trolley needle until I started watching applique videos.  It works like a stiletto on your finger.  I have a feeling I will eventually use it while chain piecing certain blocks for another project where I usually use my stitch ripper to push down fabric seams that meet.

I have my starch and water 50/50 mixture using Sta-Flo concentrated starch.  The paint brush used to apply the starch (and the trolley needle) fit perfectly in the pen cap taped to the plastic vitamin bottle of the starch mixture for safe keeping.

The little plastic box is from a deck of flash cards repurposed to keep the fabric circles flat after they are made.

Of course my iron is a big part of it.  I love the wool pressing mat that I purchased during Covid.  

All of my blue sets of circles are now ready for nightly sewing in my chair for watching tv.  I'll be using these for my Dicey quilt blocks.

The set does not have as many size options as Perfect Circles by Karen Kay Buckley.  It loooks like her set has many more size options.  I believe her method requires basting.  The Applipop method does not require basting.  I know many of my bloggy friends that do circles use the Perfect Circles method.



Monday, February 3, 2025

Preparing Blocks for Applique

I am getting so efficient at my applique systems that blocks are going much quicker than I imagined.  I take time each week to prep what I need so that my sew-to-go bag isn't empty in time of need.

This week I Accuquilt cut and sewed chisel blocks together to make blocks for my Dicey quilt.


I'm trying liquid starch vs. Best Press with prepping my circles for applique.  Isn't my 50 percent liquid starch and 50 percent water bottle cute?  It's just a vitamin bottle with a pen cap taped to the side to hold my paintbrush.  

I'm using Sta-Flo.  I know I didn't pay this much for it.  It was only like $14 or so when I bought it a couple of weeks ago from Walmart.  It was shipped free.  You can see the bottle here.




 

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Charm Basket Stitching

My basket of completed handles was getting full.  I completed 18 more baskets this week.  These blocks are multiplying faster than I ever thought that they would.  They are not perfect, but they are super fun.


 77 baskets of 202 needed for the quilt are now complete.  My baskets are trimmed to 4.25" vs. the recommended 4.5" unfinished block due to wonkiness.  52.5" x 64.5" finished is the quilt pattern size.  I'll most likely go with those numbers--give or take.
The quilt pattern is called Charm Basket by Laundry Basket Quilts.  It is an Edyta Sitar design. 

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here.

 Slow Sunday Stitching

These three were stitched in the art room that I subbed.  I LOVE subbing for this particular art teacher.  She always gives me first dibs to cover her absences.  The kids there call me the ART SUB -- and I love it!


I also stitched circles on one Dicey block this week in aqua blue (Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2025.). This block has not been pressed yet.  You can still see the marks from my Frixon pen and the grooves on the outer edges of the circles.  I Accuquilt cut and sewed a bunch of chisels together this week to prep for more blocks.  I like to stay ahead on the prep work because I am really enjoying my slow stitching!

You can read why I started this quilt here.



Saturday, February 1, 2025

Dicey -- Aqua Blue -- RSC25

Here's a Dicey block in aqua blue.  I didn't have many darker blues on hand in the house.  I'll grab some from the quilt room in the other house this week.

You can read why I started this quilt here.

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy, for the RSC25 here.


YOUR BLOG NAME

Monday, January 27, 2025

Old Town Mystery -- Sub Assemblies Made

These sub assemblies for the Old Town mystery are now complete.  Woohoo!  It's time to start assembling blocks.


Patty who blogs at Patty "The Quilt Lady" noticed my cactus in the watering can in one of my previous posts.  It normally sits by the window, but with our temps dropping below zero caused me to move it away from the window.  I figured that the wall between it and the cold vs. being by the window was a good choice for it.  I brought ONE little shoot of the cactus with one long root home from school.  It was a start that a teacher that I subbed for allowed me to have.  I love collecting plants from desks of those for whom I sub.  The other little succulents are the survivors of an after Christmas sale two years ago that came from Lowes.  They were originally in a christmas cookie tin.

Old Town is a mystery quilt designed by Bonnie Hunter.  Check out the free quilt along while it is still live on her blog here.


Sunday, January 26, 2025

A Pretty Dozen of Charm Baskets

I'm almost caught up matching all of the handles I made in the previous weeks to the basket bottoms.  Here's another dozen finished this week.


 59 baskets of 202 needed for the quilt are now complete.  My baskets are trimmed to 4.25" vs. the recommended 4.5" unfinished block due to wonkiness.  52.5" x 64.5" finished is the quilt pattern size.  I'll most likely go with those numbers--give or take.

I stitched a couple more handles in the waiting area of the garage where I get my oil changed to keep up on the warranty forever service agreement.  There's a nice little table for me to stitch.


The quilt pattern is called Charm Basket by Laundry Basket Quilts.  It is an Edyta Sitar design. 

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here.

 Slow Sunday Stitching

I also posted yesterday about the PINK Dicey blocks I made using my scraps for the RSC25.


You can read about my logic behind this quilt on my previous post here.

I did have a little "friend" while I stitched one of the blocks while watching TV:


I left it alone and just kept stitching.  Maybe it saw the dots on the pink fabric from afar and thought it would say hello.

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here.

Saturday, January 25, 2025

RSC25 -- Pink

 I made more Dicey blocks this week.


You can read about my logic behind this quilt on my previous post here.

I did have a little "friend" while I stitched one of the blocks while watching TV:


I left it alone and just kept stitching.  Maybe it saw the dots on the pink fabric from afar and thought it would say hello.


All six dice for this color is now complete.  I wonder what the color for February will be?  

I'm linking up at Angela's blog, SoScrappy, for the RSC25 here.


YOUR BLOG NAME

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Snow Day -- Brrrr

We had two snow days in a row.  I continue to work on Old Town sub assemblies.  For some reason I am very distracted with my husband and son home as well.  Oh well... family time.  :)


You can find about the Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt called Old Town on her blog here.

I'm enjoying working with this color scraps on this day.  Yes, that says NEGATIVE 16 F.  I needed to go out early this morning for more bloodwork.  At least my truck started fine and I was already off work.

I did make enough blocks to clear out this bin.  I needed a larger bin to store all of my Charm Baskets that are being made quicker than I anticipated.


Here are the two snowmen I made on Saturday, 1/18/25, while our son was at a bowling tournament.


The next day our son surprised me with making more snowmen!








Sunday, January 19, 2025

Charm Basket Progress -- Slow Sunday Stitching

Eleven more charm baskets are done!


A week or so ago I did a lot of cleaning of the sewing area.  (It's a first of the year activity and usually end of the school year activity.) I misplaced my bag of multi-colored fabrics that I had selected for this project.  I grabbed some neutrals out of the bin that I keep in my sewing area year round so that my sew-to-go bag wasn't empty.  Here are the five I finished during our SNOW DAY on Thursday.


47 baskets of 202 needed for the quilt are now complete.  My baskets are trimmed to 4.25" vs. the recommended 4.5" unfinished block due to wonkiness.  52.5" x 64.5" finished is the quilt pattern size.  I'll most likely go with those numbers--give or take.
The quilt pattern is called Charm Basket by Laundry Basket Quilts.  It is an Edyta Sitar design. 


How do you clean your cutting mat?
  I think part of the problem with my cutting mat is that my rotary blades aren't really sewing grade.  I believe they are carpet cutter grade.  A lady in my quilt guild years ago was selling blades that her husband got at an auction.  I got 100 of them for $10.  They work great, but leave my cutting mat like this:


OH!  I almost forgot!!!  I have been enjoying applique so much I have started a project to keep by my living room chair.  It's called Dicey.  You can read all the details on the post yesterday.  Now I have a project in the living room AND a project in my school bag.  Woohoo!  It's winter time.  Stitch away.

I really wanted to practice applique circles.




 Slow Sunday Stitching

I'm linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching here.

Speaking of "making things", I made these yesterday.  That wet/rainy snow mix was coming down yesterday.  I was soaked when I came in the house.  The other family members think I'm crazy that a 59-year old woman would go out and do something like this.  I closed my activity ring while doing it.

It's supposed to get really cold the next few days (zero F and below zero temps.)  If that's going to happen, I hope the snowpeople freeze and stay with us for a while.  They are fun until I forget there are there and I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and see "people" standing in the yard.  Then it freaks me out, I'm wide awake, AND I just go sew because I can't sleep...













Saturday, January 18, 2025

Dicey -- RSC25

Of course I started a new project...  


I call this project Dicey.  Unfinished block measures 9.25" x 9.25".  I don't know how big the quilt will be.  It will most likely have scrappy neutral 1.5" sashing with brightly colored cornerstones.


I wanted a fun and unusual project for the RSC.

I wanted to practice applique circles.

I wanted to use an Accuquilt die that I don't often use.

I wanted a project I could keep by my living room chair in the evenings.

I wanted to use more neutral scraps.

I started second guessing myself when I was thinking about how the dots are positioned on a die.  I can't believe I had to print out a pic of a set of dice so that I didn't worry about it.  I used to play a lot of games as a kid.  That's what we did before electronics and such.  I should have remembered the layout.  Anywho... here's my pink die that rolled a "2".



I'm linking up at Angela's blog, 
SoScrappy, for the RSC25 here.


YOUR BLOG NAME




 

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Snow Day = Sew Day

 More snow expected to fall here in Ohio.  Snow Day = Sew Day for me.  My desk area is a hot mess:


The trash is overflowing... The big pieces need to be cut into basket bottoms for my Charm Basket quilt.  The little pieces need to be run through the Accuquilt dies to add them to the scrap user's storage system.

Today is a great day to do it.  100 percent chance of snow!!!  He was mighty proud of his giant icicle yesterday.  Oh, you can see that my husband has a long-term WIP in the garage.  It's my 1992 Z71 frame with a new body on it.  It runs.  The bed is in the pole barn.  He moved a cab and motor from a vehicle his friend gave me that was totaled because of frame damage to my frame which was still very nice someone here in the Ohio winter salt.  It just needs finished and painted.  (It's kind of like a quilt top that just needs quilted and a binding.  LOL)


Done blogging for now.  I need to get S E W I N G!!!  Woohoo!